The Multilingual Learning Research Center’s (MLRC) mission of advancing outcomes for multilingual learners through socially just research is embraced by our UW-Madison undergraduate student interns. Through guidance and mentorship, our student interns are integral contributors who help shape and sustain a culture of supportive learning practices, taking their experiences and implementing them into practice. This fosters a positive cycle where students support each other, both at the MLRC and in international settings, thereby amplifying the MLRC’s impact and advancing its mission to improve outcomes for learners worldwide. In this blog, we share insights from our interns about their experiences working at the MLRC.
First, let’s meet Bella Yang, the MLRC’s Communications Intern! Bella is a senior majoring in Consumer Behavior and Marketplace Studies. She is also pursuing two certificates: one in Asian American Studies with an HMoob Emphasis, and another in Digital Studies. Growing up in a family of multilingual speakers, Bella witnessed firsthand how language and culture can sometimes feel like barriers.
This experience sparked her interest in marketing, where she now uses digital tools to bridge those gaps. For almost a year, Bella has contributed to email campaigns, social media graphics, and website redesign projects. She has expressed how this role has provided her with an opportunity to combine her personal background with professional interest in digital marketing. Bella especially values collaborating with her fellow interns, Mina and Varsha, as they work together to manage projects and campaigns throughout the semester. She has also enjoyed connecting with and supporting School Network members and seeing the MLRC lead to impactful learning. The MLRC has been a significant growth opportunity for Bella, allowing her to turn her passion into reality.
Now meet Varsha Gouraram, the Data Intern! As a student of computer science, data science, and business, Varsha Gouraram has always been interested in using data to inform decisions that improve processes and systems. She has expressed how the MLRC and its international network of schools have given her the opportunity to apply her skills to manage, analyze, and interpret large datasets in a way that feels truly impactful.
A large portion of her work, alongside Mina, Bella, and others across the School Network, supports the MLRC Research Symposia, with a particular focus on data management. Seeing the real impact of this behind-the-scenes work through positive testimonials and meaningful outcomes has been more rewarding than she ever expected. Beyond her technical interests, Varsha is deeply passionate about learning about the world and the people and cultures within it. Through her role at the MLRC, she has been able to connect with and learn about a wide range of schools and communities internationally, bringing together her interest in data with her curiosity about global education and diverse perspectives.
Lastly, let’s meet Mina Yildiz, our events intern! Mina has always been interested in foreign languages and cultures in international contexts, a passion reflected by her majors in International Studies, East Asian Studies, and Korean Language and Culture. However, her certificates in International Development and Education, as well as in Global Languages, Cultures, and Education, have enabled her to bridge global contexts that account for cultural and linguistic backgrounds in the education field.
At the MLRC, Mina has had the opportunity to work alongside Bella, Varsha, and the rest of the MLRC team to further build her understanding of how research is shaped by learners’ regions, cultures, and linguistic repertoires within a research context. Education has always been important to her, inspired by her mother’s 15 years of teaching and her own sustained internship background in student-supporting fields. Mina has expressed how her experience supporting, organizing, and helping spearhead MLRC events and projects has reinforced her passion for education, as she has had the opportunity to bring together passionate educators ready to create direct change in their learning communities!
The MLRC student interns help advance the MLRC’s mission by bringing their academic interests into research-informed practice. Through mentorship and direct experience, interns contribute meaningfully to MLRC initiatives while developing skills that shape their future work in education and research, as well as the skills associated with their internship position. The work of our student interns supports educators and students all over the world, strengthening a culture of learning and collaboration that moves beyond borders! We hope that by hearing their stories, we can help emphasize the strengths of the students we as educators and researchers are dedicated to supporting!